Aces & Eights finally has a legitimate threat in the group, he being new World Champion Bully Ray. TNA now needs to find a leader of their own, someone to step forward and challenge Ray and defend TNA against the newly-energized Aces & Eights.

But who will that person be? Wade Keller brought up a few good choices on the post-Lockdown Livecast Sunday night. Whoever eventually rises up to challenge Ray probably won't get a shot for a few months; the next PPV is in June, which is the next time they'll need a serious contender for the title (they could give away a title match on Impact between now and then). The TNA representative vs. Bully Ray feud may not come to a head until much later in the year, not a refrain those against the Aces & Eights group will want to hear.

One name floated on Sunday night was Matt Morgan. Morgan re-established himself in the main event scene last week on Impact when he interfered and attacked Jeff Hardy during Hardy's match with Austin Aries. Who came out to defend Hardy? Why, Bully Ray of course. Morgan has been trying to catch the attention of General Manager Hulk Hogan, and Hogan has seemed like a proud papa whenever Morgan has tried to make an impression on him. It's almost like Hogan is making Morgan earn his respect the hard way. Hogan could go to Morgan and finally grant him what the big man has wanted for so long: A main event program, in this instance, representing TNA against the evil of Aces & Eights.

Another possibility would be A.J. Styles. Styles can't challenge for the World Title until Bound for Glory this year, which would extend Ray's reign (and by virtue, the Aces & Eights storyline) until around October. Styles makes his return to Impact tomorrow night after several weeks off in search of himself. Defending TNA, the company he helped build, against an outside threat like Aces & Eights could be what gets his juices flowing again. Hogan could have a tough time getting A.J. to agree at first (after all, one of his main complaints before he took time off was that he was always cleaning up TNA's messes), but finally, Styles could come around.

The man who could take the title from Ray could be the man who lost the title to him in the first place - Jeff Hardy. Hardy seems to have regained TNA's trust, and he'll likely be a main event player for the rest of his time in TNA. Hogan could feel that due to their history, Hardy knows Ray best of anyone on the TNA roster, and thus has the best chance of dethroning Ray.

If it weren't for Sting believing in Bully Ray, this situation would never have occurred in the first place. Sting wouldn't have pushed Hogan so hard to accept Ray, and Hogan wouldn't have picked him as a challenger for Hardy's title. Sting must be livid that Ray made him look like a fool in trusting him so implicitly. Sting is an icon in TNA and perhaps, despite his in-ring limitations, his name value is enough at this point for TNA to decide to anoint him as their savior.

Of course, the elephant in the room is Hulk Hogan himself. Could Hogan eventually face Bully Ray, maybe not for the title, but in a grudge match of sorts? No one has more of a problem with Ray at this point than Hogan, whose daughter was tricked into a fake marriage by Ray. Don't forget, Hogan himself ended up buying into Ray as a babyface, and Ray made him look like and idiot when he turned on The Hulkster. Even with the shape Hogan is in, it's hard to fully rule out an eventual in-ring return, as limited as Hogan might be.

Because of the gap in between PPVs, TNA is in no rush to find an opponent for Bully Ray. They can take their time and let the chips fall where they may. But because there are a number of options already in-play, TNA is in the catbird seat when it comes to eventually finding the man who will attempt to take down Bully Ray and Aces & Eights.


Greg Parks has been a columnist for Pro Wrestling Torch since 2007. Follow him on Twitter @gregmparks for live Tweeting during Raw, Impact, and PPVs, as well as other bits of wisdom. Comments, questions and feedback are welcome, and can be sent to g_man9784@yahoo.com.

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